The Witzard

"GOING INTO THE SPACE... I GIVE SO MUCH OF MY HEART... OPENING MYSELF UP TO THE WORLD... AS MY SOUL BECOMES PUBLIC DOMAIN, [WHICH IS] A BEAUTIFUL THING... BUT WITH THAT ALSO COMES [YOU KNOW] HATRED [AND SH*T]... I'VE HAD TO GROW THIS CALLUS [AROUND MYSELF] TO PROTECT MY HEART," vocalist, producer, DJ, and yoga teacher Sumach "Gonjasufi" Valentine warbled within a crackly, baren Warp Records message dubbed Callus (Introduction) , which additionally included a fragment of his as-yet-unreleased song, "Surfinfinity." For those who may be largely unfamiliar, Sumach 's biggest claim to fame would likely be working alongside Jay Z and producer Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshu on his genre-eschewing Magna Carta... Holy Grail (which samples "Nikels and Dimes" ) and was once described by Pitchfork Senior Editor Ryan Dombal as "a scraggly, scary, smoked-out croak that creeps like the spiritual offspring of George Clinton and Leadbe...

Gonjasufi is a true "gypsy" in all senses of the word - A yoga instructor by day, rapper by night. He has been actively involved in the music industry in various facets for an un-disclosed period of time. Prior to releasing A Sufi and A Killer (2010), Gonjasufi somehow managed to quietly assemble and circulate a limited number of mix CD's. Released under his government name Sumach [Ecks-Valentine] , 4 hand-made CD-R's were spread throughout the San Diego, CA area between 2002-07. Upon its release, A Sufi and A Killer was widely praised by critics and Indie Hip-Hop fans alike; Due in part to its unique mix of Hip-Hop, Middle Eastern stylings, and 60's era Psych/Acid Rock ... all the while, skillfully blended with Gonjasufi 's signature chant-like vocal touches. The bulk of the record was produced by The Gaslamp Killer, Flying Lotus , and Mainframe under Ecks-Valentine's own artistic direction. Contrary to popular belief, Gonjasufi has been far fr...